SCHOOL NEWS
| MUSCATINE COUNTY, IOWA SCHOOL NEWS | |
Transcribed by Beverly Gerdts on July 16, 2019Page 37
WILLIAM F. BRENDEL started to old Garfield in January, 1926 and completed K thru 7th before going to Franklin for his 8th grade class. He then went on to MHS until 1939. He then went to work for Roach and Musser Lumber Company in January 1939.
Shortly after he married the former Dorothy Johnson who hailed from the big city of Letts, Iowa. They married on March 11, 1939. In March 1941 Bill traveled to Cicero, Illinois to work and learn the boiler maker trade for the Burlington Northern Railroad.
Shortly after a son was born to Bill and Dorothy, whom they called Wayne. In May of 1944, Bill moved his family back to Muscatine. He then joined the United State Army and was sent to work for the Railroad in Wyoming for 6 months. After working on the railroad for 6 months, he was then transferred to Boston Massachusetts, to escort German prisoners to camps throughout the United States. After his tour in Boston, Bill transferred to the 527th Military Police Escort Guards in Indianapolis where he was stationed until his discharge in July 1946.
Returning to Muscatine after his Army tour, Bill went back to work for Roach and Musser. Then a daughter, Diana joined the family in 1949.
In March 1954 Bill joined the Muscatine Police Department. 23 years later he retired from the Muscatine Police Department. He served as acting Police Chief from January through March 1976. Bill and Dorothy's son Wayne is retired from GPC and daughter Diana (Brendel) Oldfield is a teacher at Grant School in Muscatine. The Brendel's have traveled all 50 states and Nova Scotia and the Bahamas. They currently enjoy camping along the Mighty Mississippi.